


better together

by melopeya



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Exy Junkie Neil/Fashion Junkie Andrew, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, M/M, Many vivid outfit descriptions, Social Media AU, they're tiktokkers (listen... i KNOW), this was mainly an excuse to imagine neil in cute outfits, very little social media actually involved
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:22:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26545945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melopeya/pseuds/melopeya
Summary: Andrew Minyard was content building up his fashion TikTok (@ajm, to you) and silently lurking on exy TikTokker @njexy33’s page until their paths unexpectedly crossed. One collaboration turned into a friendship that Andrew never saw coming… and maybe even more.Or, a TikTok AU that has very little to do with TikTok and a lot more to do with two boys falling in love, as per usual.
Relationships: Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Comments: 54
Kudos: 386





	better together

**Author's Note:**

> Huge thank you to [squarelampshade](https://squarelampshade.tumblr.com/) for the beta and Mouj for reading it over and hyping me up <3

It all started with one comment. 

A harmless, neutral comment on @njexy33’s latest TikTok. Well, Andrew had _thought_ it was neutral. Neil Josten’s 18.2 million exy-obsessed followers thought differently, as it turned out. 

As a math major in his senior year of university, Neil Josten had applied his analytical skills to his real passion: exy. His knowledge of the game was unmatched. His TikTok had taken off with his now extremely popular videos breaking down different exy moves and strategies. But while many people came for the exy videos, they mostly stayed for the drop-dead gorgeous, mysteriously scarred, blue-eyed man in them. Neil’s comments were filled with, well, absolute _thirst_. And as much as Andrew wished he could say he was better than those shameless fans… he couldn’t. He was right there with them, watching @njexy33 walk him through a complicated footwork routine when Andrew didn’t give two shits about the damn sport. 

Andrew’s TikTok, @ajm, had blown up for different reasons. At first, he’d had some qualms about his bachelor’s degree in Film Studies being put to use for a dumb app, but the short aesthetic videos he’d put out for fun actually got views. They had started simple enough: cigarette smoke on a foggy day, a night-time walk through a forest. But soon enough he’d found himself creating plotlines, putting effort into editing, adding music, voiceovers -- and he’d actually enjoyed it all. And while he’d gained a respectable following from that, it was his fashion and style critique videos that had propelled him to his now 6.3 million followers. 

Somewhere along the way, people had noticed his outfits in the few videos he put himself in. Once Andrew started combining his film production skills, personal style, and fashion opinions, people started paying attention. Andrew had always taken pride in dressing well, and people wanted to watch him put together different outfits and give style advice so much that he was basically making a living off of it. It wasn’t what he’d seen himself doing, but he was content all the same. 

Andrew had come across @njexy33 when his cousin Nicky had sent one of Neil’s TikToks to him along with an incoherent message of “OMGSFSFHAEF!!!!E!@#$!Q$.” As idiotic as Nicky could be, Andrew had to agree with the sentiment. He’d followed Neil immediately. 

In the time Andrew had been following @njexy33, he’d gathered that the man didn’t own anything besides his boring athletic-wear. Neil was pretty enough even with his poor clothing taste that Andrew stuck around without much complaint. But after watching the same explanation of a backhand swing about seven times, agonizing over the clash of Neil’s orange t-shirt and purple shorts, Andrew decided to leave an innocent comment:

 **@ajm:** @njexy33 ur boring stickball content would be a lot more bearable if u wore some decent clothes once in a while

Well. ‘Innocent’ may not have been the _most_ appropriate word for that, but Andrew was an asshole, and he never hid that. His followers often egged him on to rate and roast different creators’ fashion sense. It wasn’t uncommon for Andrew to duet people’s videos to tell them exactly what they were doing wrong with their outfits. The night he left his comment on Neil’s video, he went to bed thinking nobody would give it a second glance, let alone Neil. 

Yeah. He was wrong about that. 

The next morning, Andrew woke up to thousands of likes and replies. Confused about the sheer number of notifications, he scrolled without bothering to read any of them to find that Neil himself had responded to Andrew’s comment. 

**@ajm:** @njexy your boring stickball content would be a lot more bearable if u wore some decent clothes once in a while

 **@njexy33:** @ajm strong words coming from someone who looks like a recovering goth ;) but ok i’ll bite. tell me what to wear 

_Asshole._ It did explain the major reaction though. Neil’s fanbase was larger than his, and also more deranged, it seemed. A solid number of the comments were extremely mad at Andrew for calling Neil “boring.” Ha. If only they knew how much space the infuriating exy junkie took up in his brain, rent-free. 

But Andrew wasn’t one to back down from an open invite to style someone, especially someone as striking as Neil. He spent the rest of the day putting together outfit ideas for Neil, scrolling through his virtual collections to find pieces that would suit him. Neil’s features were harsh -- a sharp jaw, icy blue eyes, scars slashed across his cheek. And with all the tight athletic-wear he wore in his videos, it was obvious that Neil had a good body. Even though he never went shirtless in front of the camera, Andrew could see the outline of his abs through his shirts and his toned thighs were obvious in the tiny running shorts he often sported. 

_Anyway_. 

Andrew decided to balance all those hard lines with soft colors and materials, keeping the torso covered -- Andrew got the sense Neil wouldn’t want much exposure there -- while still highlighting the figure. Pastel crop-tops layered over bodysuits, cashmere sweaters, open satin button-downs, flowy pants that would still show off Neil’s ass. He threw in some slouchy torn-up black jeans and a fitted black turtleneck with some chains just for the chance to see Neil in Andrew’s personal style. The image of Neil wearing Andrew’s clothes flashed through his mind for a moment before he immediately dismissed it. 

Once he was satisfied with his inspiration images for Neil, Andrew put together his typical “rate ______’s style + suggestions” video. He spoke a bit about Neil’s current style (shorts and t-shirts, boring), and then displayed his collected images, describing his motivation behind the choices and what he wanted to highlight for Neil. He uploaded the TikTok, tagged Neil with the caption “@njexy33 for u,” posted it. Went to bed. 

And that should’ve been it, right? 

Ha. 

Andrew woke up to even more notifications than the morning before. 

**mrs.josten:** omg @njexy33 in soft sweaters AND CHAINS???? a DREAM

 **neilllllllluvr:** damn his ass would look good in those jeans 

**wildstyle:** is it just me or would @ajm and @njexy33 b kinda cute together… 

**n\ckyhem\ck:** yes andrew make this cutie even cuter 

**alli_looks:** we get it @ajm, @njexy33 has a rocking bod 

**neilioooooo:** omg what if they met up and went shopping together i would DIE 

_Fuck_ . He hadn’t been _that_ obvious about his… appreciation for Neil’s body. Maybe he’d talked about it more than usual compared to other videos, but Andrew was pretty sure he’d remained cool, calm, and collected as always. He decided to ignore the comments about the two of them meeting up, as interesting of an idea as it was. Before he could get too carried away, Andrew closed the app and shut down his dumb fantasy with it. 

* * *

A few days passed. Andrew made his regular videos, critiqued people’s style, and ignored the piling comments asking him to meet up with Neil. He watched Neil’s latest videos on how to notice a goalie’s tells, which was somewhat interesting. Things seemed back to normal, and Andrew was sure the whole thing was in the past until about a week after he’d posted the inspiration video for Neil. 

**TikTok: @njexy33 tagged you in a video!**

Andrew fumbled with his phone in his hasty attempt to open the video. 

**njexy33:** @ajm, did my best 

_Oh_. The video was Neil in… pastels. Cashmere. Snug sweaters, flowy pants. Pale blue crop top over a lilac bodysuit. Neil somehow looked better and better in each outfit he transitioned to. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Andrew appreciated the smooth editing of the different outfits and poses, something that didn’t come easy. Neil looked almost shy as he posed simply, the outfits doing all the talking for him. Andrew wasn’t expecting it when Neil edited a jump into a tight, all-black outfit. Ripped jeans, chains, black turtleneck. It was all there. The video began to loop again, and Andrew could’ve sat there and watched it for hours. Once again though, the comments pulled his attention. 

**alli_looks:** oh my GOD 

**wildstyle:** can we get a standing ovation for @ajm

**mrs.josten:** oh he DELIVERED -- they have to meet up now it’s a rule

 **neilllllllluvr:** the last outfit IM NOT OK

 **n\ckyhem\ck:** this is absolutely the content i signed up for 

**neilioooooo:** WHENS THE MEETUP GUYS 

Andrew was so caught up reading through the endless comments that he almost missed the new follower and message notifications he’d received. His DM’s were usually full, but he’d just caught a name that looked suspiciously like… yup. 

**njexy33:** So it looks like people want us to collaborate 

_Well, that was forward._

**ajm:** yeah it does

 **njexy33:** Would you want to?

 **njexy33:** Where are you based?

 **ajm:** columbia

 **ajm:** south carolina 

**njexy33:** Oh, really? I live near PSU so I’m not far from you

 **njexy33:** Honestly the way my comments are looking people will be excited just to see us together. 

_Hmm_. 

**ajm:** i’ll think abt it 

**njexy33:** Great let me know I’ll come to you whenever 

In reality, Andrew already knew what he was going to do. Pass up the chance to style Neil Josten in person? Yeah, Andrew wasn’t _that_ dumb. But he was going to keep Neil guessing a little longer, just for fun. 

A few days later, he finally gave in. 

**ajm:** next saturday 11am. i’ll send you an address when i think of one

* * *

Neil was late. Andrew shoved his hands in his pockets to keep them from fidgeting as he waited outside Rumors Boutique. After much consideration, Andrew had picked Rumors as their first stop because it had the most variety out of all the nearby thrift stores and Andrew could spend hours browsing their collection. He shifted his weight, uncomfortable and sticky in the June heat. 

At 11:23, Andrew turned at the sound of heavy footsteps and stopped breathing for a second. Neil Josten was jogging towards him, sweaty and _gorgeous_ and--

“Hey,” Neil’s voice broke through Andrew’s hazy thoughts. “Sorry I’m late. Hi. I’m Neil”

Andrew couldn’t help but nod, still trying to subtly catch his breath. Neil, who was just running, didn’t seem affected at all. Andrew cleared his throat. “Andrew. Did you… run here?”

“From PSU?” Neil’s face broke into an amused smirk, causing Andrew’s breathing trouble to return with a vengeance. “No, I caught a ride with someone to get to my friend Jeremy’s house, he doesn’t live too far from here. I did run from there though.”

“You’re sweaty,” Andrew said, finally producing a single coherent thought. “You probably shouldn’t try anything on here. ”

Neil nodded. “Makes sense. Let’s go?” 

Andrew nodded, pushing off from the wall and leading them into the store. He and Neil browsed the rows of clothes and accessories, and Andrew relaxed considerably. He knew how to do this. Neil was recording him and the thrift store, presumably for a TikTok. Andrew was going to wait until he had Neil in his apartment to film in his familiar setup. 

They didn’t talk a lot in the store, but it was… nice. Nice to have another person with him for a change. Andrew did a lot of his life alone, didn’t often want other people in his space. But watching Neil inspect a rack of sweaters, Andrew thought he might like having someone to share his time with. Neil would hold up items that Andrew immediately shot down with a glare, and Neil would just laugh and try again. If Andrew began exaggerating his reactions a little more than usual to get Neil to laugh louder each time, well, nobody had to know. 

They grabbed sandwiches for lunch, and Neil got recognized by quite a few fans on the way. Some even recognized Andrew, and seemed excited beyond belief that Andrew and Neil were working together. Neil allowed them a few pictures, and Andrew watched as Neil’s public facade went up when he was talking to fans. When Neil finally extracted himself from the mob, Andrew was startled to note how he seemed to relax immediately into Andrew’s presence. Andrew tried to push down the warm feeling pooling in his chest at the soft smile Neil threw his way, but he lost that battle and found that it didn’t actually bother him that much. 

After lunch, they hit a couple other stores in the area and picked up some Chinese food for dinner before lugging their haul back to Andrew’s apartment (driving, thankfully). They fleshed out their collaboration, bouncing ideas off of each other and putting outfits together. And they also just… talked. Andrew learned that Neil had just graduated early from PSU in the winter, right around when his TikTok blew up. He had stayed in the area to be close to the exy team since they featured on his page, and also to be close to his friends. Andrew told Neil about wanting to start his own photography business, and how some days he wanted to quit his account and follow that dream again. 

Neil was ridiculously easy to keep up a conversation with, largely because he seemed capable of talking for hours by himself and didn’t seem to mind that Andrew was very much the opposite. Andrew could feel himself settling into the easy back and forth as they ate dinner. 

“So,” Neil said around a bite of tofu. “Why fashion?”

Andrew shrugged. “It’s the most honest way I have of expressing myself.”

Neil’s brow furrowed as he mulled over that. “I don’t know what that means.”

Andrew blew out a sigh. “It’s like art. I don’t… talk much.” Andrew stopped to glare at Neil’s snort. “But I don’t have to talk if what I wear can speak for me.”

At Neil’s accepting nod they continued eating in comfortable silence before heading into Andrew’s office. Andrew would never admit to the amount of effort and time he’d put into this room. Every aspect was intentional from the shade of slate on the wall to the arrangement of plants around his desk. Andrew fiddled with the settings on his ring light while Neil disappeared to change into the first outfit. They hadn’t talked about the scars on Neil’s cheek. Andrew wasn’t going to be the one to bring them up, but he strongly suspected they didn’t stop at Neil’s face. 

Neil walked back in and Andrew’s curiosity was snuffed out and replaced with awe. He took several moments to appreciate the silk pale blue shirt tucked into fitted linen pants currently on Neil’s body. God, Neil’s eyes were _blue_. Andrew silently walked to his desk and pulled out gold eyeliner from a drawer. 

“Yes or no?” he asked Neil, holding up the liner.

Neil blinked. “Yes.”

Andrew willed his hands not to shake as he carefully held the back of Neil’s head with one hand and dragged the gold gently across and under Neil’s eyes with the other. Neil held still, closed his eyes when Andrew told him to. Andrew didn’t know how he had gotten here, holding the object of his fantasies in his hands on the same day they’d met. He stepped away from Neil to admire his work, and Neil’s blue eyes stared back at him. Andrew gave a short nod. 

And then he got started. 

The next few hours went by in a blur. Andrew had Neil stand in front of his lighting set up, but filmed manually. Neil carried himself like he’d been born to model, even if his expressions and fidgeting hands gave his nervousness away. Andrew stuck with the soft styles and materials he’d originally picked for Neil. As much as he wanted to throw Neil in his own clothes, it didn’t feel like the right time. 

While getting a few close-ups of Neil’s waist to highlight the contrasting textures of a soft sweater and fitted slacks, Andrew realized he was having fun. He was surprised that the presence of another person could make this, something he already enjoyed, even better. Or maybe it was just Neil. Neil, who struggled to appear confident even though he pulled off each look effortlessly, and got flustered when he didn’t know where to put his hands. He laughed every time Andrew scrunched his face up in concentration, trying to get the perfect shot. It was a struggle to not just stay fixed on Neil’s smile. 

“Okay,” Andrew said, rising from his crouched position. “That’s all I need.” It was well past midnight and Andrew was exhausted. Neil seemed worn out after being in the spotlight for hours. After they’d cleaned up all the props and Neil was back in his regular clothes, Andrew drove Neil and all his new clothes to Jeremy’s house where he was spending the night. 

Once they pulled up to Jeremy’s, Neil sucked in a breath. His eyes were still trained on the windshield, but Andrew could tell he was about to say something. He waited. 

“Thank you,” Neil finally said. “For not asking me about my scars today.” Andrew didn’t know how to answer that. Neil turned to him, clearly expecting Andrew to have something to say. “I mean, they’re not exactly subtle. People ask me about them all the time, even just on the street.” 

“They’re none of my business,” Andrew said quietly. “If you’d wanted to tell me, you would’ve.” 

“Maybe one day I will.” Neil’s eyes lingered on Andrew’s face for a few quiet moments before he gathered his stuff. “Bye,” Neil smiled shyly as he unclipped his seatbelt. “I’d never done anything non-exy for TikTok until this. It was fun.”

Andrew nodded. “I’ll message you my videos before posting them.”

“Oh yeah. I can do that too, I’ll DM you my number?”

“Sure. Goodnight, Neil.” 

“Goodnight, Andrew.” The car door opened. “Let’s do this again, okay?” 

* * *

The videos that came out of their collaboration did insanely well for both of them. Neil’s viewers loved the shopping vlog, and noted the change in Neil’s general attire in his “ex(y)planation” videos. He also made a joke video playing a pick-up game in one of his new outfits, on which Andrew left several angry comments about abusing silk. Andrew’s videos of Neil were gaining views like crazy. He had put his all in making them, feeling the way he had when he had first gotten into TikTok, and people definitely noticed. 

But what was more surprising than all the positive feedback they were receiving was how Neil had somehow made himself a regular feature in Andrew’s life. They texted every day, debating random topics like the best kitchen utensil (whisk vs. spatula) and the best temperature of water (room vs. ice). Neil visited Andrew frequently, starting with every other weekend after their meetup which turned into almost every weekend. He stopped staying at Jeremy’s and usually ended up spending nights on Andrew’s pull-out couch. They explored Columbia together, hiking in Harbison State Forest and having picnics by the Canal. Andrew found that he approved of Neil’s outfits more often than not, and gave himself a pat on the back for that. They sometimes documented things on TikTok, but mostly they just… enjoyed each other’s company.

Andrew supposed they were friends. He didn’t have many of those. He had Renee to spar with once a week and Kevin to grab coffee with every now and then. Family, sure, he had Nicky in Germany and Aaron in Chicago. But he hadn’t ever had a relationship like the one he had with Neil. He would be lying to himself if he said he didn’t like it. 

One Saturday morning after Neil had stayed over, Andrew came out to the living room to be greeted by the sight of Neil asleep on the couch. He’d kicked the blanket to the floor but was curled into himself like he was cold. Feeling the most foreign fondness, Andrew carefully draped the blanket back over him. He made coffee and settled in the armchair across from Neil. Overcome with a sudden urge to grab his camera and take a quick video of Neil, Andrew admired Neil’s comfortable, cozy expression through the viewfinder for a few seconds before setting it aside and continuing to stare at the sleeping man’s face. He could tell the exact moment Neil woke up. 

“Hey,” Neil said, voice rough, eyes still closed. “Staring.” 

Andrew watched as he absentmindedly patted around for the blanket, relaxing when he confirmed that his body was still covered. Neil had shown him the scars on his torso last week. Andrew hadn’t been able to say anything for a bit, unable to push down the anger that bubbled up at the thought of someone harming Neil in such a cruel way. He’d learned about Neil’s parents, the terrible childhood he’d had to endure before his father had been arrested and Neil moved in with his Uncle. Andrew had given Neil some bits of his own past, foster homes where he’d never felt safe, hands that didn’t know to keep to themselves. They’d traded truths until they’d passed out on Andrew’s balcony, sitting next to each other. 

Shaking himself back to the present Andrew said, “I made coffee.”

“Thanks.” That goddamn smile would be the end of Andrew, he just knew it. “What do you want to do today?”

“A new store opened up across from Rumors.” It was a vintage boutique and Andrew had been looking forward to dragging Neil there for weeks. 

“Cool, let’s go! I need to vlog today, so that'll be good.” Oh yes, Neil’s followers consistently went nuts whenever Neil vlogged, especially if Andrew was involved. 

Both of their followers had taken notice of their increased involvement in each other’s lives. The two of them never talked about it, but it was a given that every time one featured the other on a TikTok, their comment sections looked about the same. 

**neilllllllluvr:** guys just date already 

**wildstyle:** i think @njexy33 finally found something he likes more than exy ;)

 **alli_looks:** here for @ajm making his boy look goooooood

 **mrs.josten:** guys neils straight right

 **mrs.josten:** RIGHT?!?!?!?!?!!

 **n\ckyhem\ck:** @mrs.josten oh honey… 

**neilioooooo:** andrew + neil = andreil <3 :) 

Right. Yeah, they didn’t talk about those. Andrew wasn’t sure if Neil was even into guys, he didn’t seem to be interested in anyone at all. And it was easier to ignore those comments rather than have any awkward conversation that might ruin the good thing they had going on.

“People have been commenting about how my content is different now,” Neil said later that day, as they lounged on the dock by the Canal. 

“What do you mean?” Andrew asked, popping a grape in his mouth and setting his camera down after getting some footage of Neil basking in the sun. He had a fair idea of what the comments said. 

“The vlogs are new, people are noticing. Not in a bad way. I just have something else to document besides exy. Um. There’s just a lot of you, basically.” Neil looked out to the water, his cheeks flushing a deep red. 

For his own peace of mind, Andrew attributed that to the sun. “Are they complaining?” 

Neil shook his head. “No, they’re… not quite.” He turned to look at Andrew, who snapped his head the other way, fixing his eyes on the setting sun’s glistening rays on the water. 

“Good,” Andrew managed to get out. “That they’re not complaining.”

And that was that. 

* * *

Andrew eventually caved and put Neil in his own clothes for a shoot. Neil usually let him experiment with any style he wanted and didn’t ask many questions, so Andrew didn’t give him any indication that this shoot was different. He took his time picking out a pair of fitted, cuffed trousers with a loop chain attached, a black and white striped open-collared shirt, and sturdy black boots. 

“This is different,” Neil said, eyeing the outfit when Andrew handed it to him. “It looks like something you’d wear.”

So it turned out he wasn’t so oblivious after all. “Just put it on,” Andrew said. 

Neil turned away a little and began to change. When he turned back around, Andrew had to remind himself how to breathe. Neil looked ridiculously good. Andrew was shorter and more muscular than Neil’s wiry frame, so the clothes weren’t an exact fit, but he still pulled them off perfectly. 

Trying to stop himself from staring, Andrew tucked in the shirt into Neil’s pants quickly and tossed him a studded belt to cinch his waist. He also smudged some black eyeliner around Neil’s eyes, and it was nearly impossible to stop himself from accidentally kissing the beautiful idiot right there. He stepped away from Neil quickly, and fidgeted with the ring light some more to distract himself. This was a terrible idea. 

“Oh,” Neil’s voice came from behind him. 

Andrew sneaked a look behind him to find Neil staring at himself in the full-length mirror by Andrew’s desk. Out of all the times they’d done this, Neil had never just looked at his own appearance like that, in fact, he mostly tried to avoid it. But right now, Andrew didn’t even have to ask to know that Neil _liked_ how he looked. Without thinking twice about it, Andrew got his camera out and filmed Neil’s awed reflection in the mirror. Neil was too caught up in shock to even notice. 

“You look good,” Andrew said before he could stop himself. 

Neil turned to him and Andrew hastily hid his camera behind him. “These are your clothes aren’t they?” 

“Yeah.”

Neil smiled. “No wonder they look good on me then.” And Andrew knew the image of Neil grinning like an idiot in his clothes would be burned in his mind forever. 

The views from the videos they got from that shoot topped their first collaboration by millions. 

* * *

Six months after they’d met up for the first time, Andrew drove to Neil’s house in Palmetto on Friday instead of meeting Neil in Columbia. It wasn’t his first time in Palmetto or at Neil’s house, but it was his first time meeting all of Neil’s housemates. Most of them had graduated a year before Neil, and once he arrived Andrew realized he recognized some of them from the comments on his TikToks featuring Neil. Allison, Dan, and Matt had been some of their most vocal fans even before their official collaboration. 

“Thank you,” Allison said, taking Andrew’s attention from Neil.“For fixing all of this,” she gestured to Neil’s whole body.

Neil rolled his eyes. “She couldn’t believe we were collaborating. Said I was probably a lost cause even for someone like you.”

Andrew raised an eyebrow. “Someone like me?”

“Don’t be modest, Minyard,” Allison drawled. “You’re good at what you do.” Neil gave Andrew a small smile at that, as if he hadn’t just been insulted. Andrew’s heart clenched involuntarily. It had been doing that a little too often lately. 

“So glad we were finally able to meet the reason Neil has been abandoning us _every weekend_ ,” Dan butted in, eyebrows raised. 

Neil rolled his eyes. “It’s not _every--_ ”

“Every weekend!” Matt echoed his girlfriend. “He keeps stealing my truck to get to you, just leaves us stranded in the house.”

“It’s not like you guys go anywhere anyway,” Neil teased. “And you literally have Allison’s car.”

Allison clicked her tongue. “Yeah, they don’t go anywhere.”

“ _Anyway_ ,” Dan reigned the conversation back in. “Neil doesn’t tell us much, so we have to go by what we get on TikTok. How’d you get into the fashion stuff?”

Andrew gave them the briefest of histories, which launched them into a conversation about how everybody’s personal style had developed over time. Some embarrassing high school pictures were exchanged, and Andrew noted how none of them pressured Neil into sharing things from his past. Over the past few months, Andrew had learned more about Neil’s violent childhood, and how his family wasn’t around anymore. As nosy as they were, Andrew appreciated that Neil now had people who cared about him and looked out for him.

Speaking of nosy, Allison abruptly changed the subject, “So Andrew, what’s it like to have the attention of 18 million people’s wet dream?” 

Neil choked on his water. “Allison!” 

“What? It’s true!” 

“People follow me for _exy_ ,” Neil grumbled. 

“Sure, kid,” Dan smirked. “Andrew, did you follow Neil for exy?”

Andrew froze. Neil fixed a questioning look on him. Andrew’s blank mind scrambled around for literally anything to say, but he was mercifully saved from answering by a sudden beeping noise and burning smell from the kitchen. 

“Oh, shit! My lasagna!” Matt exclaimed. He and Dan rushed to the kitchen to try and salvage the situation, and Allison apparently lost interest in the topic once they were gone and began to chat about a recent Tinder date she’d been on. Neil went with the conversation, but threw an odd look Andrew’s way before the matter was dropped for the time being. 

Dinner continued without any major hiccups, and the nearly burnt lasagna actually tasted pretty good. After the food was all wrapped up, Neil’s housemates disappeared to their rooms. Andrew followed Neil out to the back porch. The stars were out, softly illuminating Neil’s face as they sat down next to each other on the stairs. 

“Your friends are a lot,” Andrew said into the silence. 

“Yeah.” Neil looked at his hands. 

“They’re decent cooks though.”

Neil just nodded. Something was up. 

“Neil?” Andrew asked tentatively. 

“I don’t understand why people would just follow me because of how I look. I’m not even-- there isn’t really much to look at here.” 

_Have you looked in a mirror?_ Andrew wanted to ask. He remained silent instead. 

“I mean, why follow someone just for that? If you don’t care about what they’re saying, what’s the point?” Neil pressed, agitated. 

“I doubt you got all your followers solely because of your looks,” Andrew said, feeling guilty for some reason. 

“Why did you follow me?” 

“What?”

“You were following me before we collaborated, right? That’s how you saw the video you commented on.”

“Yeah.” Andrew wasn’t sure where Neil was going with this. 

“Did you follow me for exy stuff?”

“Neil, why does it matter?”

“It just… it doesn’t. I’m sorry.” 

Andrew took a deep breath and concentrated hard on the darkness in front of him. Admitting the truth would cross the fragile line he and Neil had put between themselves and their comment sections, but Andrew wasn’t in the business of lying and Neil seemed to care about this for whatever reason. “I followed you because you’re hot. I hate exy.” There, he said it. Nice and blunt. 

“Oh.”

“But I do care about you. I mean-- what you have to say. That’s not all there is to you, I know that.”

“Okay.”

“That’s it?” 

“Yeah. Thanks for being honest.” 

Andrew wanted to press and ask why Neil had wanted to know. And hadn’t it been obvious? Andrew had never shown an inkling of interest in exy, even after working with Neil so much. After that anti-climatic conversation, they sat in silence for a bit longer. Andrew could sense that there was still something Neil wasn’t saying. 

Around midnight, Andrew said, “I think I’ll head home now.” He had planned on crashing at Neil’s, but he wasn’t too sure of that idea right now. Neil still seemed lost in thought, and frankly speaking Andrew was a bit unsure himself. 

Without looking at him Neil said, “I do too, you know.”

“Hmm?”

“I care about you, too. And I think that… um.” Even in the dim light, Andrew could see a flush bloom on Neil’s cheeks. “I think you’re attractive, too.” 

“Okay,” Andrew replied dumbly. He felt like he was in high school again. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he thought Neil might be trying to say he liked Andrew, but that seemed unlikely. Maybe Neil just felt like he had to say that back after Andrew’s revelation. All of a sudden, Andrew felt uncomfortable in a way he hadn’t ever felt around Neil, even when they had just met. He didn’t like the sudden shift the dinner had brought about between them. “I’m gonna go now.” 

Neil just nodded as Andrew got up and walked to his car. The hour-long drive home did not help him sort out anything he was feeling, and he fell into bed frustrated and confused. 

* * *

Andrew didn’t hear from Neil after the dinner at his house. It was unusual for them, but Andrew didn’t feel like reaching out either. He kept going over the conversation they’d had on Friday, but he felt like neither of them had really revealed anything _that_ major. They found each other attractive, so what? It didn’t have to mean anything. Attraction was nothing. If Andrew had been nursing a crush on Neil since before they met, it didn’t hurt anyone. Whatever Neil felt was still mostly a mystery, but even then, nothing had to change between them. 

Well, something had most definitely changed between them, but Andrew did his best to trick his mind into ignoring the lack of Neil-related notifications on his phone. 

He managed to successfully ignore the silence between them for a week, but then it was Friday again and Andrew _missed_ Neil. He missed the easy conversation, the soft smiles, the sense of contentment that washed over him when Neil was nearby.

That afternoon he decided to delay his scheduled videos. He went through all the footage he had of Neil from their shopping trips, shoots, adventures. All the little snippets he’d taken when Neil wasn’t looking, where he laughed freely, not a trace of self-consciousness on his face. He picked out his favorites: Neil inspecting a bug that had crawled up his arm on a hike, Neil closing his eyes and smiling up at the sun by the Canal, Neil wearing Andrew’s clothes for the first time and admiring himself in the mirror.

Andrew didn’t even try to play it off as a fashion video, it was clearly just about Neil. No words, no critique, just gentle music in the background, and a beautiful man in the foreground. Andrew posted it to TikTok before he could second-guess himself, simply tagging Neil in the caption before sending it off into the world. Likes and comments started pouring in within seconds, many taking the video as a confirmation of their relationship, but he was only looking out for one name. And it didn’t show up. 

Shrugging off the disappointment after seeing nothing from Neil a few hours after he’d posted the video, Andrew made dinner and sat numbly in front of the television. He wasn’t sure what to do. Or why he was even feeling like he’d fucked things up back at Neil’s house. Something so small suddenly felt really big. Should he go to Neil’s house and demand he talk to Andrew? No, Andrew didn’t want to make Neil do anything he didn’t want to. 

A knock at the door jerked Andrew out of his misery. He glanced at the time as he made his way to open it. _Almost midnight, who the fuck was here now?_ He opened the door to an out-of-breath, poorly dressed redhead. 

“Hi,” Neil panted. 

Andrew looked him up and down disapprovingly. Running clothes again. “Did you run here?”

“What? No,” Neil huffed. “We’ve been over this. I don’t just run like an idiot. The elevator was too slow, I ran up the stairs from the parking lot.”

“Hmm. You must be out of shape, there aren't that many stairs.”

“Fuck off. Are you letting me in?”

 _Of course._ Andrew stepped aside and closed the door after Neil.

“What exactly is happening?” Andrew asked, although he thought he might have an idea.

Neil glared at him. “I saw your TikTok. You like me,” he stated plainly. 

It was the truth, so Andrew didn’t deny it. “Yes.” 

Neil looked frustrated. “Then why didn’t you just tell me that last week?” 

“I didn’t think it was relevant.”

“Didn’t think it was relevant? You told me you followed me because you thought I was hot and then you said you cared about me, and I told you the same. And then you fucking ran away!” Neil crossed his arms and scowled at the floor. 

“Neil, you haven’t shown any… interest in anyone since I met you. I thought you were just saying it because of what I said.”

Neil’s head snapped up at that. “I’ve spent every weekend with you for months. I let you dress me up and I actually enjoy it. We… _do_ things together. We hike and have picnics and shit. Do you think I just do that with anybody? Do _you_ just do that with anybody?”

“You know I don’t.” Andrew was starting to feel a little stupid. He’d been so quick to assume that Neil wouldn’t have any interest in him that he’d missed out on some pretty major signs that he maybe actually did. 

“I _like_ you, Andrew. And I thought you liked me. And I thought I was being really obvious about it? Even my fucking followers on TikTok think we’re together because of how often you’re in my videos.”

“Your followers just go crazy when we collaborate.” _That was the wrong thing to say, dumbass._

Suddenly all the tension in Neil seemed to melt away and he just looked sad. “Oh my god. You were just hanging out with me for the fucking views. I’m such an idiot.” Neil’s face crumpled horribly as he tried to push past Andrew and walk out the door. 

_No_. Andrew couldn’t allow that. He reached out and hovered his hand in front of Neil’s arm. “Stop. You barged in here telling me that I liked you. And you were right, okay?” Andrew grasped Neil’s arm when he didn’t move away. “I just-- I thought you didn’t feel that way, so I didn’t read into anything you said. And I’m going to pretend like you didn’t just say that I did anything for a view on fucking TikTok. That’s bullshit and you know better.” 

Neil stared at Andrew for a few seconds before tugging his arm free. For a terrifying second, Andrew thought Neil was about to walk out of his life for good. But then he just went to slump on the couch. Andrew followed him cautiously. He sat a few inches away from Neil and waited him out. 

“I’m sorry,” Neil said finally. “I shouldn’t have said that you were just doing this for TikTok. If that was actually your motive, you’d be doing a shit job. You barely film me when we hang out.” He frowned. “Well, actually your video today just proved that wrong, didn’t it? What was that for?”

Andrew turned to face Neil fully on the couch. “I didn’t know what to say. I wanted you to know I was thinking about you anyway.” 

Neil smiled for the first time since he’d entered Andrew’s apartment. “Well, as cheesy as it was, it worked. I stole Matt’s truck and he didn’t even notice until I was halfway here. He was so pissed when he called me.”

“I’m sure he can appreciate that the theft was for a good cause.”

Neil’s eyes sparkled with a warmth that made Andrew feel like he was melting inside. “Yeah. You are a good cause.” 

As much as he wanted to shy away from Neil’s intense gaze, Andrew forced himself to keep eye contact. He’d spent months denying his feelings for Neil, denying Neil’s feelings for _him_ , and at the end of the day it had only made them both miserable. “I want-- this. Us.”

“Me too.”

“I don’t know what I’m doing.”

Neil huffed out a laugh and shook his head. “You think I do?”

“Are we going to have to make a whole announcement about it?”

“Fuck no.” Neil’s smile turned sharp. “You are going to make an exy TikTok with me though.”

“No.”

“Yep! I’m going to teach you how to play.” Neil was laughing openly now, all the tension from earlier gone. 

“Not a chance in hell,” Andrew sneered half-heartedly. In reality, Andrew was pretty sure he’d wear exy gear for a week straight if it meant Neil would keep laughing like this. 

Neil’s eyes sparkled. “I’m sure I can make it worth your while.”

“Oh?”

Neil scooched forward on the couch until their knees were touching. “Yeah,” he whispered, his playful grin turning into something softer. “If… if that’s something you want.” 

Andrew’s brain short-circuited for a moment, finally catching up to speed. Just a few months ago, Neil had only been @njexy33, a fantasy. And now he was _Neil_ , in front of Andrew, wanting Andrew. 

Neil made to shift back, concerned. “Hey, we don’t have to--”

Andrew stopped him with a hand on his thigh. “I was just thinking about how your millions of heartbroken fans are probably going to start sending me death threats now.”

Neil rolled his eyes but relaxed. “They’re not all in love with me! God, you sound like Matt and Dan.”

“I’ll probably have to get a PO box just for the hate mail.”

“Oh shut up. Are you going to kiss me or not?” Neil looked hilariously horrified at himself as the words left his mouth. “I mean-- I meant--”

“Yes,” Andrew cut him off, and then he hesitated. 

“Okay,” Neil bit at his lower lip, inevitably drawing Andrew’s eyes to it. “Um. I might be bad at this,” he whispered.

“That’s okay,” Andrew murmured, finally leaning in. Neil tried to close the distance between them, but they ended up in an awkward back and forth, dancing around each other. Finally, Andrew took Neil’s face in his hands to keep him steady and they just stared at each other for a few moments. Andrew’s mind briefly flashed back to the night they first collaborated, and Andrew had held Neil’s face like this to line his eyes with gold. He’d thought that was as close as he’d get to anything with Neil this whole time, but somehow this beautiful idiot had managed to surprise him even more. 

“Thanks for commenting on my TikTok,” Neil breathed. “Even though it was kind of mean.”

“I was just being honest,” Andrew said before gently brushing his lips against Neil’s. Neil pulled back quickly, as if he’d been stung, only to lean back in and kiss Andrew properly, threading his fingers through Andrew’s hair. It was slow and sweet, and Andrew didn’t think he’d need oxygen ever again. 

* * *

“Okay guys, we did it,” Neil smiled at his phone, “Andrew Minyard, the TikTok fashion king himself, has finally agreed to play exy!”

“This is a one-time thing, I’d like to make that very clear,” Andrew grumbled to the camera. Neil had thought it would be hilarious to put Andrew in the bulkiest goalie gear possible and stick him in the goal while the PSU exy team tried to score on him. Andrew had never touched an exy racquet in his life, so this was bound to go poorly. 

Neil was still recording his intro on his phone. “We’re going to see if we can turn total exy newbie Andrew into a goalie in the next hour, let’s see how this goes!” He slipped the phone in his pocket and walked over to adjust Andrew’s helmet. 

“You ready?” Neil asked, smirking. 

“Absolutely not.”

Neil leaned in to quickly kiss him on the cheek before shoving a racquet into Andrew’s gloved hands. After a twenty-minute crash course, Andrew took his position in the goal as the PSU Foxes lined up in front of it. Neil was already laughing uncontrollably, filming from the sidelines. 

But after a grueling hour of being aimed at mercilessly, Andrew walked off the court feeling rather pleased with his goalie abilities. He’d managed to save more shots than he’d let in by quickly assessing where each Fox seemed to direct their swings the most. Halfway through Neil had stopped filming to simply stare at Andrew in disbelief. 

“You were amazing!” Neil charged at him once he was by the bleachers. Andrew got his helmet off in time for Neil to kiss him firmly on the mouth, and _yeah_ that whole hour had already been worth it if this was how Neil was going to look at him. “You’re sure you’ve never played exy before?” Neil asked. 

“Never,” Andrew said, a bit smug. “And I never will again.”

“Liar,” Neil accused. “You liked it. You were having fun, I saw you.” 

Andrew kissed him again in lieu of actually admitting that he _had_ enjoyed the whole ordeal just a tiny bit. “It’s time to hold up your end of the deal,” he said. 

Neil’s awestruck expression disappeared instantly. “You’re actually going to make me do it.” 

“Yep.” In exchange for Andrew’s cooperation on the exy TikTok, Neil had begrudgingly agreed to be dragged to Andrew’s favorite ice cream place and taste every single flavor on their menu. 

“I don’t even like ice cream,” Neil whined, following Andrew to the locker room. Andrew couldn’t wait to get back into his regular clothes -- the uniform he was wearing was starting to smell worse by the second. 

“I don’t like exy,” Andrew reminded him, ripping his goalie gloves off and tossing them on the ground to emphasize his point. 

“You still watched my exy videos though,” Neil said, waggling his eyebrows. 

“That was for very different reasons.”

“And now you’re _in_ one of my exy videos. God, you must really like me.”

Andrew’s heart stuttered for a moment and he wondered if he’d ever get used to Neil’s brand of startling honesty. 

“It’s okay,” Neil continued, never needing Andrew to respond verbally, always secure in the knowledge Andrew was listening regardless (he was). “I really like you, too. And that is why I will try all fifty fucking flavors of frozen sugar this place carries.” 

“It’s actually fifty-five.”

“So be it,” Neil smiled softly. 

Andrew had long stopped waiting for his breath to return; Neil’s smiles kept taking it away, and this one was no exception. He had no idea how he’d gotten here, standing in an exy uniform with @njexy33 smiling at him like Andrew was the only person worth looking at. He wasn’t going to think about it too hard though, he had fifty-five flavors of ice cream to get to and a gorgeous man beside him. Life was good. 

**Author's Note:**

> So, this started out as crack but we ended up here lol. Andrew's fashion tiktoks were largely inspired by [Wisdom Kaye](https://www.tiktok.com/@wisdm8?lang=en) on tiktok. 
> 
> Also! I'm on [twitter](https://twitter.com/manyaaa21) and [tumblr](https://melopeya.tumblr.com/) :)


End file.
